Mowing L2250... what size brush hog

bjorn773 · Mar 8, 2016

I have a newly aquired L2250. The manual says I can use up to a 72" mower. I'm looking for a used brush mower and want to make certain it can adequately power it before buying it. Does anyone have experience with this combination?

KennyV · Mar 9, 2016

Your tractor horse power is only Part of the formula to determine how Large or how Small you should be looking at...
Get a mower capable of doing 90 percent of the jobs required, the other 10 percent you can either Slow way down or Take a much smaller pass...

smstonypoint · Mar 9, 2016

According to TractorData.com Kubota L2250 tractor information, your tractor has 21 PTO HP and is 49" wide.

Most manufacturers have light-, medium-, and heavy-duty cutters and provide recommended minimum PTO HP requirements. I suspect that only light-duty 72" cutters will have minimum PTO HP requirements as low as 21 HP. I would be looking for a 60" cutter.

Steve

4570Man · Mar 9, 2016

I'd get a 5' cutter. The old L2550 had 25 pto hp, and did fine with a 5'

bjorn773 · Mar 9, 2016

I'll measure again but I thought the rear tires were slightly wider that my 60" fel. Shouldn't the deck be at least as wide as the tires?

JWR · Mar 9, 2016

bjorn773 said:
I'll measure again but I thought the rear tires were slightly wider that my 60" fel. Shouldn't the deck be at least as wide as the tires?

Well, it is nice certainly to have the hog deck cut as wide as your tire footprint. I think the bigger issue is what size cutter is going to be comfortable and well-matched to the tractor. I used a 6' hog on a 48 gross hp JD for 10 years and I consider that combo ideal. I would not want to be pulling that 6' hog with a 26 gross hp tractor like the L2250 at all. Even cutting mostly grass and no thick brush I think you 'd be unhappy with a 6 footer. I also cut grass and minor brush with a 4' hog on a Kubota B2150 just a hair smaller than your L2250. That B2150 handles the 4' hog with so much ease that I'm looking around for a 5' hog for it. In summary I agree with the other guys -- I'd recommend a 5' hog for your size tractor.

nybirdman · Mar 9, 2016

I think a five footer would be max for that tractor;I have a five and a six used on 44HP and can bog the six in very heavy going.

bjorn773 · Mar 9, 2016

A friend is a commercial toro dealer, he has a 3pt finish mower he took in on trade. But, it's an 80 inch... sounds like way too big for my tractor. I'll keep looking for a 5 footer. BTW, I just measured and I'm 64" across the rear wheels.

SPYDERLK · Mar 9, 2016

bjorn773 said:
I have a newly aquired L2250. The manual says I can use up to a 72" mower. I'm looking for a used brush mower and want to make certain it can adequately power it before buying it. Does anyone have experience with this combination?

,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,DO NOT get 6' bushog. A 2550 is underpowered with a 60" bushog.

dieselcrawler · Mar 9, 2016

My 3005 has 27hp/24pto, and my 5' brush hog boggs it down often, I tend to drop down a gear going uphill. If you are mowing light stuff, you might live with a 5', but consider 4'. It will be easier on your tractor, both weight and required power.

4570Man · Mar 10, 2016

You want to be able to cover the back wheels.

bjorn773 · Mar 10, 2016

That's where the problem is. A 5 footer won't quite cover the wheels, and a six footer is way too big. I have a 60 inch Dixie Chopper that is my go-to mower so I will only use the tractor for rough cutting. From the responses here, a 5 footer sounds like the way to go.

tractorworks · Mar 10, 2016

Something does not compute. Tractor is listed as 49" wide with a wheelbase of 64" roughly. I had a B2150 with the same engine and it carried a 60 inch bush hog squealer (light duty) brush cutter pretty well. It is possible to bog down. Finish mower you can go 6' but again it is possible to bog it down. Just be ready to slow down.

rbargeron · Mar 10, 2016

bjorn773 said:
......I'll keep looking for a 5 footer. BTW, I just measured and I'm 64" across the rear wheels.

A five-foot rotary cutter would be a good size for a L2250. The attached page from the owners manual shows the original wheel/tire widths for the L2250 and other similar models . It's possible the rear wheels have been swapped for a wider stance. May be adjustable by flipping the centers to get under 5' width.

bjorn773 · Mar 10, 2016

It has Ag tires on it... pretty deep offset. I don't think I could flip them. 5 ft seems like a good compromise. The 6 ft listing in the manual might be referring to belly mowers.

4570Man · Mar 10, 2016

I'd put a 6' on it. Nobody said you have to take a full width pass.

LD1 · Mar 10, 2016

The tractor is physically about the same size and lift specs and weight as my l3400, only less power. It should be able to lift and otherwise handle a 6' cutter fine provided you have a FEL or some other weight up front to offset the weight of the cutter.

As to power, you can always bog a machine down. You can have a 5' cutter behind 60hp and bog it at times.

You ain't out of power though until you are bogging it down in your slowest gear.

I have 29 pto HP and a 6' mower. Never touched 1st or 2nd gear. And only in the thickest of conditions do I need 3rd or 4th. Most of my mowing is done in 5 or 6. (4-5.5 mph)

bjorn773 · Mar 11, 2016

My buddy from Toro is gonna drop off the 6 foot finish mower and let me try it. If it doesn't work out, the guy I just bought my tractor from has 2 five foot brush mowers for sale. Either way, I should be able to get something that works. I'll follow up after I try the loaner deck.

JWR · Mar 11, 2016

You no doubt have more help than you ever wanted on this. I stick to what I said in post #6 to this thread and still vote for a 5ft. hog.

I'll add this: A couple of things matter that might not have been addressed. Steepness of ground is one. If most of what you are doing is on flat land and you rarely get into the steep you might get by with a 6ft hog. The other thing is weight. For example I had a JD MX6 hog which was very sturdy, seemed indestructible and being pulled by a JD4700 with 48hp gross. Near perfect combo. I also pulled a Landpride finish mower 2672 model (also 6ft wide) and the finish mower was very noticeably heavier. On a 40% grade I had to shift down another gear with the finish mower compared to the same width hog because of weight mainly. It should also be noted that finish mowers usually use 3 blades and I think it takes slightly more oomph to turn 3 blades belt driven (finish) than it does to turn one blade direct drive (the hog.)

bjorn773 · Mar 11, 2016

I'm pretty flat... no hills to speak of. I was thinking 3 small blades would be less stressful than 1 large blade. It won't cost me anything to try the six. The five I'll have to commit to before being able to try it. We'll see... I do appreciate everyone's input.